Lighthouses of Nigeria

The western African nation of Nigeria faces south into
the northeastern corner of the Gulf of Guinea. A former British colony,
Nigeria has been independent since 1960. The country has become a leading
producer of oil and gas, but there has been unrest in the coastal regions
where the wells are located.

The great delta of the Niger River occupies most of the central coast
of the country, and three of the lighthouses mark entrances to the river
system. The Bonny River Light, shown below, is one of these three.

Aids to navigation in Nigeria are maintained by the Nigerian
Ports Authority. The port authority is one of several
agencies privatized by the Nigerian government since 2003.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS
World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the
Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers
are from Publication 113.

Date unknown (probably 1950s). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); two white
flashes every 20 s. 28 m (92 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with lantern
and gallery. Entire lighthouse is steel gray. A photo is above, Trabas has Captain Peter's photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse marks the entrance to Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State and a major base for the oil industry. Located on the
east side of the entrance to the Bonny River, at the eastern edge of the Niger
River Delta. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS NIG-002; Admiralty D3940; NGA
25064.

Bayelsa State Lighthouse

Akassa (Palm Point)

1910 (relocated in 1917). Active; focal plane about 65 m (213 ft); one long (1.2 s) white flash
every 10 s. 60 m (197 ft) hexagonal skeletal tower with gallery; the lantern was removed and replaced by a white barbell-shaped fiberglass tower doubling the height of the lighthouse.
A photo is at right, a distant view is available, and Google has a distant satellite
view. The lighthouse was initially built at a different location and was relocated between 1915 and 1917 (not in 1912, as many sources state) to Palm Point. It's not known when the upper section was added; presumably it was needed to raise the light above surrounding trees. The light marks the southernmost point of the Niger River Delta.
Located on the east side of the entrance to the Nun River, one of
the many branches of the Niger. Site status unknown. ARLHS NIG-004;
Admiralty D3930; NGA 25056.

Delta State Lighthouse

Ogidigben (Oidigbe, Escravos River)

Date unknown (probably 1950s). Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft);
three white flashes every 20 s. Approx. 40 m (131 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with lantern, painted white with a black horizontal band. No photo available, and the tower has not been located in Google's satellite view of the area. The Escravos
River is the site of large and controversial natural gas terminals;
residents protesting this industrialization have seized the facilities
and held hostages several times. Escravos is the Portuguese word for slaves, a reference to a a former slave trading base on the river. Located on the east side of the river
entrance near Ogidigben, on the west side of the Niger River Delta.
Site status unknown. ARLHS NIG-003; Admiralty D3900; NGA 25036.

Palm Point Light, Akassa
Bayelsa State Tourism Development Agency photo

Lagos State Lighthouses

[Lagos East Mole]

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); green flash every 3 s. 9 m (30 ft) white post. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and another photo is available, but the post is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on the east breakwater at the entrance to Lagos. Site status unknown. Admiralty D3873; NGA 24976.

Lagos East Mole Middle (?)

Date unknown. Inactive at least since 2014. Light mounted on the roof of a ramshackle 3-story concrete
signal station. Trabas has posted a closeup photo by Captain Peter, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite
view. There's a good chance that this tower has been removed as part of harbor redevelopment. Located on the east mole of Lagos harbor. Site status unknown.
ARLHS NIG-005; ex-Admiralty D3878; NGA 24992.

* Necom House

Date unknown (building completed 1979). Active (?); focal plane 160
m (525 ft); white flash every 30 s. Light mounted atop the communications
tower on the roof of the 32-story Necom
House. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Lateef 'deji Oyedokun has a 2008 photo,
Jide Akinboade has a view from the harbor, and Google has a satellite view. Necom House is the headquarters
of the former Nigerian External Communications (Necom), now privatized
as part of Nitel, Ltd. The powerful light has a range of 65 km (40
mi) and serves as the landfall light for Lagos. It was dropped from the NGA List in 2010 but was still listed by the Admiralty in 2014. Located on the waterfront
in downtown Lagos. Site and building open, tower closed. Admiralty
D3871; ex-NGA 25028.

1891 (station established 1877). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft);
two white flashes, separated by 3.2 s, every 15 s. 27 m (89 ft) stone
tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white with a broad red
horizontal band below the gallery. A photo is at right,
Paul Kalu has a closeup photo,
another good photo and a 2010 photo are available, Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view, Huelse has a historic postcard
view, and Google has a satellite
view. Lagos, the largest city of Nigeria and the colonial capital, is a large city
and major port in the southwestern corner of the country. Located
about 1.5 km (1 mi) northwest of the point of land at the western
entrance to Lagos Harbour. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS NIG-001; Admiralty
D3870; NGA 24968.